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Crocodile Trophy 2002
Australia, September 10-22, 2002
Main Results Previous stage Next stage
Stage 4 - September 13, Greenvale - Mt. Surprise, 174 km
By Christi Valentine-Anderson
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The race started early on this stage as it was going to be a long hot day in the saddle. What began as a flat, non technical stage turned into kilometres of volcanic rock and sand. There were a myriad of obstacles to negotiate over the grueling 174 kms of The Real Australian Outback. At one point the race traveled through a cattle station with thousands of skinny Brahman cows wondering through the tape lined course. Riders and support trucks had to travel from flag to flag every 100 meters to find their way. The cattle were not always moving off the track so quite often cyclists had to go around them.
Bart Bosman took the stage with 7 minutes up his sleeve after being away on his own for 110 kms. Bosman attacked after 60 kms and never looked back. Race leader Jaap Viergever and Points jersey Kris Lapere, finished second and third respectively. There was, however, some strange closing of a paddock gate following those two riders which resulted in Phil Anderson and Jurji Robic having to stop and open the gate to pass. No one is admitting to this gate closing. Robic was not happy about the loss of a few seconds. Phil Anderson punctured in the last 30 kms and lost 3 mins to Jaap and Kris.
Australian Barry Burns was going well on the wheel of fellow Victorian David Olle when they began traveling along a deep corrugation. Olle looked back to say, "Just keep light on your front wheel and weight over the back and let's enjoy this one."
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Olle is a great bike handler but he did not speak soon enough. Burns went flying and landed spectacularly on his shoulder, breaking his collar bone badly. David got such a fright he fell off too. Then realising how bad Barry was hurt propped Burns up on a log and rode on to fetch help. Help arrived and he is on his way to the nearest hospital 120 kms away
Mieke Deroo had another great day! She has a strangle hold on the women`s division of the 2002 Crocodile Trophy. Deroo has more than an hour on her nearest competitor.
Other excitement for the day was when a 1 meter long thin snake flicked up into the air amidst the peloton. Anderson said, "it bounced off my handle bars and continued to fly through the air toward the guy next to me". There's a heart starter for them!
Photos
Photo: © Mark Watson/MW Photography
- Race leader Jaap Viergever cools down after another tough stage
- Racing in the Australian Outback
- A rider attempts to get through a herd of Brahman cows - a regular obstacle in the Crocodile Trophy
- Mieke Deroo (Team Meike) is far and away the best women's competitor
Results
1 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 5.51.10 (29.73 km/h) 2 Jaap Viergever (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 6.59 3 Kris Lapere (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 7.00 4 Peter Paelinck (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 7.01 5 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team 9.59 6 Jurji Robic (Slo) Team Robic 10.00 7 Thomas Riegler (Aut) Team Riegler 11.34 8 Oyvind Aas (Nor) Team Kelly/Hi5 Norway 14.24 9 Clemens Mühsinger (Ger) 14.47 10 Martin Kellermann (Aut) 17.08 11 Filip Claes (Bel) 17.11 12 Paul Meyvis (Bel) 18.16 13 Peter Nejsig (Den) 27.40 14 Hans Henrik Nielsen (Den) 27.41 15 Adrian Laing (Aus) Team Brett 27.41 16 Dominiek Sacre (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 32.49 17 Bart Schols (Bel) 32.57 18 Anthony Michelle (Aus) Team Brett 33.00 19 Jon Spar (Aus) Team Brett 42.43 20 Peter Brett (Aus) Team Brett 43.51 21 Dennis Teeuwen (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 43.52 22 Theo Molenbrugge (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 44.50 23 Mieke Deroo (Bel) Team Mieke 49.10 24 Rudi Donckers (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 49.43 25 David Olle (Aus) Dream Team 1.08.38 26 Wouter Declercq (Bel) Team Mieke 1.14.53 27 Charles Blanc (Fra) 1.19.16 28 Jack Oldfield (Aus) 1.21.13 29 Steven Pauwels (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 1.29.48 30 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 1.40.09 31 Gabriele Inzinger (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 1.40.10 32 Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 1.40.10 33 Franz Hartmann (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 1.40.10 34 Carrie Edwards (USA) 1.45.54 35 Ronny Potter (Bel) 1.48.23 36 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Team Baustoff & Metall 1.48.35 37 Joachim Rintsch (Ger) 1.51.25 38 Kim Lindberg (Den) 2.04.20 39 Joe Schifano (Aus) Team Brett 2.09.23 40 Toru Watanabe (Jap) 2.27.38 41 Debra Eason (Aus) Team Australia 2.41.27 42 Stefan Schlett (Ger) 2.49.13 43 Kurt Poisinger (Aut) 2.54.22 Women 1 Mieke Deroo (Bel) Team Mieke 6.40.20 2 Gabriele Inzinger (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 51.00 3 Carrie Edwards (USA) 56.44 4 Debra Eason (Aus) Team Australia 1.52.17 Light 1 Claudia Kristen (Ger) 2 Phil Best (Aus) 3 Dominic Barber (Aus) General classification after stage 4 1 Jaap Viergever (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 18.47.18 (29.65 km/h) 2 Kris Lapere (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 7.27 3 Jurji Robic (Slo) Team Robic 20.44 4 Clemens Mühsinger (Ger) 30.44 5 Oyvind Aas (Nor) Team Kelly/Hi5 Norway 42.38 6 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team 43.14 7 Thomas Riegler (Aut) Team Riegler 57.51 8 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 59.55 9 Martin Kellermann (Aut) 1.11.48 10 Peter Paelinck (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 1.18.55 11 Hans Henrik Nielsen (Den) 1.27.17 12 Paul Meyvis (Bel) 1.39.36 13 Filip Claes (Bel) 1.43.56 14 Bart Schols (Bel) 1.54.03 15 Adrian Laing (Aus) Team Brett 1.58.13 16 Dominiek Sacre (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 1.59.02 17 Peter Nejsig (Den) 2.02.24 18 Anthony Michelle (Aus) Team Brett 2.58.43 19 Dennis Teeuwen (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 3.26.43 20 Peter Brett (Aus) Team Brett 3.32.14 21 Jon Spar (Aus) Team Brett 3.38.59 22 Mieke Deroo (Bel) Team Mieke 3.50.53 23 Wouter Declercq (Bel) Team Mieke 4.00.33 24 Jack Oldfield (Aus) 4.20.03 25 Rudi Donckers (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 4.22.53 26 Theo Molenbrugge (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 4.23.15 27 David Olle (Aus) Dream Team 5.01.03 28 Joachim Rintsch (Ger) 5.45.37 29 Carrie Edwards (USA) 6.06.14 30 Kim Lindberg (Den) 6.07.49 31 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 6.08.36 32 Gabriele Inzinger (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 6.08.40 33 Steven Pauwels (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 6.17.59 34 Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 6.25.08 35 Charles Blanc (Fra) 6.25.42 36 Franz Hartmann (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 6.27.17 37 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Team Baustoff & Metall 6.56.19 38 Joe Schifano (Aus) Team Brett 7.36.12 39 Stefan Schlett (Ger) 8.45.59 40 Ronny Potter (Bel) 8.46.13 41 Toru Watanabe (Jap) 9.45.03 42 Debra Eason (Aus) Team Australia 9.52.22 43 Kurt Poisinger (Aut) 10.36.43 Women classification 1 Mieke Deroo (Bel) Team Mieke 22.38.11 (24.61 km/h) 2 Carrie Edwards (USA) 2.15.21 3 Gabriele Inzinger (Aut) Bike Drive/Rapso 2.17.47 4 Debra Eason (Aus) Team Australia 6.01.29 Light classification 1 Claudia Kristen (Ger) 2 Phil Best (Aus) 3 Dominic Barber (Aus) Points classification 1 Jaap Viergever (Ned) Tom Tailor/Santos 50 pts 2 Kris Lapere (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 50 3 Jurji Robic (Slo) Team Robic 30 4 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team 27 5 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Cycling Team Limburg 20 6 Clemens Mühsinger (Ger) 15 7 Oyvind Aas (Nor) Team Kelly/Hi5 Norway 7 8 Peter Paelinck (Bel) Team www.reevax.be 7 9 Hans Henrik Nielsen (Den) 2
